Waffle Home: the Wi-Fi landline phone that only rings for approved contacts

What it is

The Waffle Home is a Wi-Fi landline phone designed for children aged 5 to 12. According to the brand, it consists of a rounded base and a handset with a keypad. The child uses it to reach people their parents have approved. These are also the only people who can call them.

The device is built for talking, with voice calls and voice notes. It has no apps, no feed to scroll, no social media, and the child has no access to the internet. The Waffle Home keeps to the essentials: pick up and call a loved one.

It’s designed for families who want their child to be able to reach grandparents, a parent at work or a friend, without handing them a mobile phone just yet. The child gains a way to talk. The parent keeps control over who can be reached.

Three colours are available: mint green, graphite black and purple.

Why it exists

Waffle designs phones for children with no apps, no browser and no social media. Its devices allow calls to a list of contacts approved by parents. The Waffle Home applies this principle at home, in the form of a landline phone.

According to the brand, it gives children “a small first step towards independence”. In use, the child chooses who to call and when, within the circle set by their parents. They hold the handset, dial and lead the conversation themselves.

Waffle says it builds tools that enrich childhood, “nothing more”. The phrase sums up the approach: an object that does one thing, calling, within a framework that adults set through the Waffle Hub parental app.

What matters

The list of approved contacts. This is the heart of the system: only people chosen by parents can call. The brand states that the handset gives access to this list, next to the keypad. Contacts and settings are managed in Waffle Hub. To add an aunt or remove an old friend, parents go through the parental app, with no need to handle the handset itself.

The cordless handset. According to the brand, the handset can be used cordlessly around the house, within Wi-Fi range. The child can therefore call from their bedroom or the living room, as long as the home network reaches that far. Range depends directly on the house’s Wi-Fi.

Voice notes. Alongside voice calls, the Waffle Home handles voice notes. The brand states that these let someone leave a message when a live call isn’t possible. A grandparent who catches a child at training can leave a few words, which the child can listen to later.

Caller display. The brand states that a screen shows who’s calling. Before picking up, the child sees who it is. With a closed list of contacts, this information mainly helps them know who they’re about to speak to.

“Quiet hours”. According to the brand, parents set no-call time slots in Waffle Hub. These quiet hours can cover night-time, homework or dinner. The phone doesn’t ring during these periods, and the child can’t use it to call out either.

Emergency calls and their limits. The brand states that emergency calls remain possible, even during quiet hours. A successful emergency call triggers a notification in the parental app. In its US-based guidance, the brand specifies that no emergency call can go through if Wi-Fi, the internet or power is down. It also states there’s no fallback to a mobile network, no mobile data and no GPS. The Waffle Home therefore depends entirely on the home’s connection and electricity supply.

Day to day

Setup takes less than 5 minutes. You download Waffle Hub, pair the phone, then add contacts. The handset is ready as soon as the list contains at least one person.

According to the brand, calls run over the home’s internet connection. The phone uses built-in Wi-Fi to connect to the home network.

The box contains the Waffle Home, a charging cable, a quick start guide, access to the Waffle Hub app and a 10-day trial of Waffle Plus. The handset recharges using the supplied cable.

Two plans shape how the phone is used. The basic plan, “Home Free”, includes calls between Waffle phones, one approved contact, a Waffle phone number, the Waffle Hub app and emergency calls. The “Home Plus+” plan adds extra approved contacts and international calls. For a family with relatives abroad, this second plan is what allows those calls to go through.

Technical specifications

Feature	Value
Category	Wi-Fi landline phone for children
Recommended age	5 to 12
Connection	Built-in Wi-Fi
Build (according to the brand)	Rounded base and handset with keypad
Functions	Voice calls and voice notes
Setup	Under 5 minutes
Box contents	Waffle Home, charging cable, quick start guide, Waffle Hub app, 10-day Waffle Plus trial
Colours	Mint green, graphite black, purple
Parental app	Waffle Hub

What the brand says

Waffle states that it will never sell families’ data. It also states that it will never show adverts to children. Both commitments are aimed at parents, who entrust the app with the list of people close to their child.

According to the brand, the Waffle Home gives children a small first step towards independence. It says it builds tools that enrich childhood, nothing more.